A 35-year-old man pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of his 5-year-old daughter, who died of starvation and dehydration in a Schenectady, New York, home described by authorities as a “house of horrors.”

The District Attorney's Office The Schenectady County Prosecutor's Office reported that Robert S. Buskey Jr. admitted responsibility for the death of Charlotte Buskey, which occurred after months of extreme neglect. Upon entering the home on April 14, 2024, police found the girl's 3-year-old brother locked in a cage in the living room and Charlotte's emaciated body in her bedroom, showing severe signs of malnutrition and dehydration.

Isolation, Neglect, and Drug Use

According to the prosecution, the room where Charlotte was found was locked from the outside, and the child had been isolated from the outside world, without medical attention or contact with family members. Although there were boxes of food outside the room, the girl remained without access to food or water.

Investigators noted that Buskey used drugs and played video games while neglecting his children. Both minors tested positive for cocaine, according to medical results.

“I let my daughter die,” the defendant told a police officer, according to court documents cited by local media.

“Depraved indifference to human life”

The autopsy revealed that Charlotte was completely starved of food and in a critical state of dehydration. Prosecutors described the defendant's conduct as an extreme case of “depraved indifference to human life,” a criminal charge reserved for acts that demonstrate an absolute disregard for life.

Buskey also pleaded guilty to illegally selling a controlled substance to a minor and faces a sentence of between 27 years in prison and life imprisonment, with sentencing scheduled for March 27.

Second similar case in weeks

District Attorney Robert M. Carney noted that Charlotte's death was the second of a minor in the region in just over a month. In March 2024, an 11-month-old baby, Halo Branton, died of hypothermia after being abandoned in a drainage ditch. Her mother was convicted of murder last year.

Charlotte's obituary notes that she loved princesses, dresses, and blowing bubbles. "She was a gentle, kind-hearted child who touched many lives during her brief time on this earth," her family wrote.